14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve all heard about the negative or beneficial effects one particular thing can have on our health and, implicitly, our life, but we have rarely been offered the full picture. Researchers at the Oxford University have gathered figures pertaining to over 1.3 million British women, and have consequently come up with the health commandments all ladies should respect to the letter.
Among the findings of this extensive research are the effects of smoking in the long run (and not only as regards the probability of developing lung cancer), what alcohol can do to a woman’s body (therefore, a no-alcohol rule should be up in place), and how bananas can be used to fight depression. At the same time, researchers say, an active love life is also highly recommended because it reduces the “physiologic age” by six years.
Also among the commandments is the “Go on the pill” one. “It will dramatically cut your risk of ovarian cancer, the silent killer, as the Million Women Study found. Furthermore, you will continue to be protected for at least 30 years after you stop. The study has shown that for every five years a woman has been on the Pill, her relative risk of ovarian cancer is cut by 20 per cent. Those who take it for 15 years cut their risk by half.” the British publication the Daily Mail informs.
Another common-sense thing that has also made the cut is to avoid cola drinks, especially diet colas, since they are known to reduce calcium absorption. In the long run, women who have an estimated five carbonated drinks (of which four are colas) per week also present a 4 percent drop in bone density, as previous research has found. With age, this can lead to osteoporosis and several other complications, so it’s best to keep it natural all the way – with water and freshly squeezed juice, scientists add.
Dieting also has bad effects on our health, especially if we lose more weight than we’re supposed to. The “Don’t get too thin” commandment says that women who are stick thin also have fertility issues, therefore we should all focus on a healthy, balanced diet that will not starve us or make us go size 0. “Watch your medicines” is about paying attention to the over-the-counter drugs we take on an almost constant basis, and to the effects they may have in the future. We should never self-medicate just because we think it’s the right thing to do, or have been told so by a friend, scientists warn, because all pills can be potentially dangerous if taken without medical supervision.
For the entire list of health commandments, please go here.